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NEW YEAR’S EVE

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Disco & Buffet - 7 til late
from the management at Indigo Palace, Ham
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Fri Dec 23rd LIVE MUSIC
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Uptown Traffic Reunion Tour
£14.95 per person / children £6.95
60’s & 70’s Rock ‘n’ Soul Band
OPEN BOXING DAY
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Warm & Happy New Year!
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ungerford had the best Christmas present possible when
they snatched the points in a game they had never looked
like winning, Harry Goodger’s 92nd. minute header
earning them victory. Paulton looked the better side in the ﬁrst
half and it needed some desperate defending to keep them out, but
Hungerford almost scored right on half time when Mark Draycott
was brought down right on the edge of the area by Scott Brice, who
was sent off, but Matt Day’s free kick was blocked. Despite being a
man short, Paulton held on fairly easily and numbers were evened
out when Luke Hopper was sent off.
Time was almost up and a draw looked certain when Daniel
Lincoln made a great save from Adam Mahdi to save his side, and
from the clearance, Hungerford won a corner for Goodger to head
the spectacular winning goal.

GS

Above: Shelagh Parry receives a cheque for £140 from Teresa Richens at
Mr Fry’s Fish shop in Hungerford. The money was raised for RBL Poppy
Appeal and also £62 were raised through the shop’s collection box.

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Christmas and New Year Greetings
from all at the
Tutti Pole Tea Shop & Restaurant

t Lawrence’s Church, Hungerford was packed for the Mayor’s
Carol Service on Sunday night.
Hungerford’s mayor, Cr Martin Crane told the congregation
the service recognised the voluntary Hungerford organisations and the
selﬂess service the people give to the community and the town in which
they love to live.
Cr Crane especially mentioned Hungerford Town Band headed by Tim
Crouter and Town Clerk Claire Barnes.
The service was conducted by The Vicar of Hungerford The Reverend
Andrew Sawyer backed by The Reverend Keri Eynon of Hungerford’s
United Reformed Church.
Popular carols were sung with dedication and gusto.
Lessons were read by RBL&SSAFA Welfare Case Worker John Parry,
Janette Kersey of CHAIN, David Wallis, president of Hungerford Rotary
Club and Neale Marney of South Central Ambulance Services.
The collection was in aid of CHAIN.

Letter to Editor
CHRISTMAS TREE PROBLEM
Sir:
We have a problem at the moment with cars parking by (and
often in) the main Christmas tree in Hungerford. They are
damaging the lights as they drive in and reverse out of the two
partial parking slots either side of the tree. Only today, I picked up
15 broken bulbs, and had to re-arrange the lights on either side of
the tree. On top of this there are also a number of strings with 200
bulbs that are not working at all because they have been pulled
from the tree by these cars, and damaged in some way that cannot
be repaired without removing a whole host of light strings; so
they remain unlit and the tree is looking less attractive each day.
Of course, I have spoken with West Berks, and they are now
suggesting and expecting us to cone off the parking area around
the tree. However, the cones are an eyesore, and will take away
from the overall beautiful effect that our display achieves. So, I
would like instead to ﬁrst ask our townspeople not to park in these
two partial slots by the main tree. If they ignore this request and
continue to do so, then we will be forced to cone the area off, and
this would be a great shame.
Could we discuss this asap, so the points above can be in the
next issue of the Adviser.
Thanks: Yours etc: Rod Demeules, Hungerford

All aspects of tree work
Hedge cutting and stump grinding
Trees and hedges supplied and planted
Seasoned mulch and logs available
• Local Authority and Forestry Commision approved
• Established 1990 • £10,000,000 liablity

ungerford Rotary Club attracted a full house at the Corn Exchange
to watch the Kennet Amateur Theatrical Society perform a
Murder Mystery play in aid of charity. Rotary President, local
farmer, David Wallis commented, “that this local Community occasion
was so successful it raised £1350 for Noreen’s Kids and Local Charities
and other such Events will follow”. - JAMES BROWN

DON’T JUST TAKE
OUR WORD FOR IT...

We always say that The Adviser is here to help, and this
week two separate advertisers complimented us on our
publication and its promotional benefits.

WHAT YOU SAID:

For more information give us a call.
Call the Adviser on 01488 682328
or email: adviser@universal-press.co.uk

“I would like to thank you and your excellent magazine for
the business it has provided me. Currently I am so busy that
I am turning work away. What started out as a small part time
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In appreciation of all of the care she has received from the club
she intends doing a charity walk in April 2012 to raise funds for
this worthy cause.
Chris says anyone wishing to support or sponsor her walk can do
so on the website uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ Christine Jennings
or turn up on the day to cheer her on.
Added to this, she is part of a team aiming to set up a stroke club
in
Hungerford in the Croft Hall starting January 18, 2012 between
onda is again building its production at the Swindon plant
2pm and 4pm.
with the announcement of 500 new jobs in January.
Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Chris on 01488
It is hoped that local labour will meet the criteria for
682138.
the positions which will take the plant’s labour content to 3500.
Honda, Swindon, aims to increase production to 180,000 cars in
2012 and shifts will be increased from three to four producing just
under 500 vehicles a day.
The employment boost is for the new Civic model which was
arlborough Community Choir had a busy run up to Christmas.
held up by the Japanese earthquake and Thai ﬂoods.
A Flashmob in Waitrose was followed by a concert with another
Recruiting is already under way and the job umbrella will cover
local group of singers, Mother’s Jam, who together raised £368 for Homethe Hungerford and Marlborough districts.

H

BUSY TIME FOR MARLBOROUGH
COMMUNITY CHOIR

M

FORMER MAYOR IN
TEAM AIMING TO SET UP
HUNGERFORD STROKE CLINIC

F

ormer Hungerford mayor Chris Jennings suffered two
strokes in March and spent most of the rest of the year in
hospital.
With good care and support by several agencies she is making
a good recovery and attends the stroke club in Newbury to further
aid her progress.

Start Kennet. Then swiftly on to an evening singing for residents and staff
of Merlin Court, followed by a dash down to Marlborough Lodge for a
repeat performance. The choir ﬁnished on the Saturday before Christmas
with another visit to Waitrose. This time it was an hour long session which
helped relieve the stress of all that frantic Christmas shopping! Waitrose
presented the choir with a cheque for £100.
The ﬁrst meeting after Christmas is January 11th in St Peter’s Church
at 7.30pm. Everyone’s guaranteed a welcome, just turn up to this free
taster session – particularly those male voices. No auditions and no music
reading ability required, the choir learns together, laughs together and
sings for pleasure. Preparations will commence in January for the next big
fundraiser for Comic Relief, ‘Singing for Laughs’, will take place on 25th
Feb 2012. More details on the www, go to; marlboroughcommunitychoir.
org -Val Compton.

The Adviser employment section is good at ﬁnding local people.
To advertise your vacancies call: 01488

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the dangerous tension between Britain and the Soviet
Union by inviting the Russian leaders, Khruschchev
and Bulganin, to pay a goodwill visit to the UK, which
had been accepted. The Soviet delegation decided to
arrive in April 1956 in some style on the latest Russian
cruiser, called the Ordzhonikidze, which was known
to have some secret advantages, especially concerning
its screws. Immediately, naval intelligence wanted
to examine the screws surreptitiously while the ship would be moored in
Portsmouth Harbour while MI5 wanted to bug the private talk of the Russian
leaders. Eden responded with a ﬁrm order banning any illicit activities as
they might imperil the talks.
My host bridled as he recalled how his political initiative had been
ruined by a branch of MI6 which had secretly hired a free-lance frogman to
examine the cruiser’s screws. The frogman had been spotted in Portsmouth
Harbour by the Russians before he accidentally drowned and the whole
operation caused a public scandal which ruined the initiative. Eden had then
ﬁred the head of MI6 and severely admonished several others who were
involved in breaches of his order, MI5 having bugged the conversations of
the Russian leaders while they were staying in London at Claridges Hotel.
It was worse than he knew. In addition to cock-up there had also been
conspiracy. As I recorded in my recent book, Treachery, the senior KGB
security men aboard the cruiser had been forewarned by a British traitor of
the frogman’s mission at least two weeks in advance of their arrival. Very
few people knew of the venture and it seems likely that one of them was
the KGB’S informant.
More recently, I have learned from an impeccable Russian source that
the KGB even knew the frogman’s name – Lionel Crabb. Still fewer Britons
knew that. So the list containing the traitor’s name can now be reduced still
further.

O

B

ritain’s most handsome Prime Minister, Sir Anthony Eden, escaped
my journalistic attention because of the Fleet Street convention
that Premiers and Foreign Secretaries (as Eden had been) were the
rightful preserves of the Political and Diplomatic Reporters respectively.
As the Defence Reporter I did not poach on their territory any more than
they did on mine. Nor did I happen to meet Eden socially through gameshooting or salmon ﬁshing as I did with many other politicians.
So, it was not until the 1970s that we met – in Barbados. Lord Avon,
as he had become on retiring from politics in 1957, owned a beautiful
old plantation house in that sunny Caribbean island. By chance, my wife
and I had the regular privilege of holidaying in another plantation house
belonging to Janet Kidd, the daughter of my paper’s proprietor, Lord
Beaverbrook and grandmother of the now well-known model Jodie Kidd.
So, it was inevitable in that relaxed and hospitable climate that Janet would
introduce us to Lord Avon and his wife, Clarissa, and that, one day we
should lunch together. He had lost none of his famous charm and I found
him in a talkative and reminiscent mood as we ate and drank at his home
in the sunshine.
He recalled that, in 1953, his health had been shattered by a disaster
during what was normally a routine operation for the removal of stones
from his gall-bladder. The surgeon had sliced through his bile-duct requiring
a repair involving the insertion of a metal tube to rejoin the duct. What
the unfortunate patient referred to as ‘my old tin tube’ occasionally leaked,
causing a debilitating fever with temperatures up to 106 degrees F, but,
happily it was behaving itself during our meeting.
Inevitably, I switched the conversation to his dealings with MI5 and MI6
and his reaction was vitriolic. ‘Anything to do with spies almost always
reveals a cock-up which rubs off on the political leadership’ he said. ‘So, I
kept clear of the security and intelligence people as much as I could.’ His
brow then darkened as he added ‘But there was one horrible occasion when
I had to approach them and they disobeyed my orders so blatantly that I
should have sacked the lot of them.’
He was referring to his very sensible move, late in 1955, to reduce

World Web News
Standing room only in Church on Sunday night!
New Training Band takes a bow.
Aldbourne Band -the current First Section National
Champions of Great Britain - played a festive selection
of music to a packed audience in St Michael’s church
on Sunday evening.
The audience was also treated to the very ﬁrst public
appearance of the newly formed Aldbourne Training
Band. Janet Roe – conductor - has worked hard with
the enthusiastic young players since they started in September and the result was a resounding success, with
3 pieces being played plus an encore of Jingle Bells.
Harry Mundy was accompanied by the main band as
he played The Little Drummer Boy on the snare drum.
The Training Band are seeking help from local businesses to kit them out with smart uniforms and quality
instruments.
Some members of the Training Band then swapped
roles and sang with St Michael’s School Choir to the
crowded church. The songs were all from the Christmas play being performed by the school this year.
In the second half of the concert the audience was indulged with a great set of songs from the quality, Aldbourne based, male voice choir ‘The Sarcen Song
men’.
It was only 3 years ago that they had their ﬁrst public performance and they now have over 20 members.
Songs included their own arrangements of the Coventry Carol and an amusing version of Jingle Bells that
had the audience joining in.
This annual concert is organised by Aldbourne Band
on behalf of St Michael’s Church to raise funds for the
upkeep of the church grounds and graveyard. Church
volunteers manned the refreshments stand in the interval. Church Treasurer John Adey thanked all for coming and supporting the event.
The next concert for Aldbourne Band will be at Immanuel Church, Upham Road, Swindon on Saturday
28th January. This will be the 49th consecutive year
that the band has played there. They are looking forward to the ﬁrst public airing of the test piece they will
be performing at the West of England Area Championships on 11th March in Torquay. It is called ‘Devil and
the deep blue sea’ and is quite challenging.
More information can be found at www.aldbourneband.org.uk

with the Adviser

Football wih Ron Tarry
HUNGERFORD IMPOVING
This was another greatly improved performance as Hungerford seek to turn round their recent poor form, a deserved victory which took them back to 4th.place in an
increasingly tight league table.Hungerford had much the
better of the ﬁrst half, missing a number of chances, before Mark Draycott scored from a Jamie Gosling corner
after 36 minutes, although they should have been more
than a goal up at the interval.
Draycott made it 2-0 after 55 minutes, intercepting
Gardner’s header to beat the goalkeeper with ease, but
the home side battled hard without being able to get a
shot on target until Paul Kendall came up to score a consolation goal well into injury time, but the points were
already””in the bag” for Hungerford by thden.
BRIDGE WORK IS ACCORDING TO PLAN
Hungerford’s footbridge over the Kennet and Avon C
anal was going to plan, Cr Roger Thompson told the last
Hungerford Town Council meeting.
HUNGERFORD CROFT BRIDGE REPLACEMENT
BETWEEN APRIL 5 AND 10
Hungerford’s railway bridge into The Croft would be
replaced between April 5 and 10 the last Hungerford
Town council meeting was told.
Residents would be given prior notice and offered alternative hotel accommodation if the noise was too great.
Project workers have been offered amenities at Hungerford Club “We don’t want another ﬁasco” Cr Roger
Thompson said.
CONTRACTORS’ CONTRIBUTION
Hungerford’s mayor Cr Martin Crane told the last Hungerford Town Council Meeting that the contractors for
Hungerford’s recent gas works were making a contribution to Hungerford CHAIN.
METAL DETECTING DAY RAISES
£2500 FOR ROTARY CHARITIES
Thanks to Peter Kindersley and his staff, Sheepdrove
Organic Farm welcomed The Rotary Club of Hungerford for their annual Metal Detecting day and enabled
enthusiasts to contribute nearly £2500 to the Club’s
nominated local charities.
President, David Wallis, on the left, seen with Yvonne
Haddrell and Neil McPherson, was very impressed
with the attendance and most interested to see some
of the objects found. The pictures show some of the
“booty” such as Roman coins, nail cleaner, brooches,
buttons, musket balls, thimbles, sheeps bell and even a
dog bowl made in 2007

World Web News
26th October 2011: Dr Hugh Pihlens –
“From Latvia to Hungerford”
Over a hundred members of the Hungerford Historical Association were treated to an excellent talk by Dr
Hugh Pihlens last Wednesday night. Dr Pihlens was a
very popular and highly respected GP in Hungerford
for all his professional life but his talk focused on his
family links with Latvia.
His grandfather had been a Latvian nationalist revolutionary in the early 20th century and had to escape
in the hold of a German cargo ship from the Russian
police and their bayonets. Eventually as a non-English
speaking Protestant refugee he arrived in England and
was befriended by a Church of England vicar and given
employment and sanctuary by the vicar’s family. He
met and married an English girl and they settled down
in the West Country where Dr Pihlens was born. A
wonderful story much appreciated by the audience, a
lot of whom resolved to research their own family history.
The next talk will be given by The Countess of Carnarvon “Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey”
on Wednesday, November 23rd at 7.30pm in the Corn
Exchange, Hungerford. -Shelagh Parry
£212 RAISED THANK YOU...
Thank you for your publicity for Manton Pre-school
Tabletop toy sale; we raised £212.00 for the pre-school
to buy new equipment. -Abi Beaumont
DOGS BEING STOLEN TO FIGHT
District landholders are being warned of gangs stealing
dogs to use in ﬁghting.
POLICE REPORT TO COUNCILLORS
SHOP SAFE
Hungerford town councillors were told before their last
meeting that the Shop Safe programme was receiving
good response.
CHARITY BOX THEFTS
Police said charity box theft was not isolated to Hungerford and had been widespread with a foreign gang
operating.
DOG POO
Police report groing concern at dog poo in Hungerford.
Fines for abuse are up to £500. Hungerford Town Council would like to hear from residents who can identify
problem areas. Tel. 686195.
VANDALISM AND THEFT
Some vandalism and theft had occurred in Hungerford
and residents were warned to keep cars locked.

with the Adviser

Chilton’s Best Quiz EVER !

Chilton Foliat’s village hall committee hosted its best
ever quiz night with numbers reaching 54 a fantastic
attendance to the event. As well as familiar neighbours
and friends, teams from Aldbourne WI and Lambourn
came along to swell the numbers.
Under the eyes of quiz master Peter Camﬁeld the teams
used every inch of their ‘little grey cells’ to solve the
questions put before them but the team that took the
prize was members of Chilton’s own Chicks Toddler
Group, who won a meal for two at the Palm restaurant,
grateful thanks go to PC rep Gary Crumpler for securing the prize. The half time hot supper that was made
by the committee members and their spouses was very
well received and following a 100 Club draw three happy members have a little extra for Christmas.
Chairman Liz Outridge was delighted to announce that
not only was this the best ever quiz night in the hall but
it raised in excess of £300 for hall funds, which is a
wonderful achievement. Well done and grateful thanks
to the committee for organising and running this event
and a very big thankyou to all who attended, especially
Peter Camﬁeld for running the quiz.
The next Hall event will be the Carols Around the tree
in the grounds of St. Mary’s Church on Friday 16th December at 6.30pm with warm refreshments afterwards
in the hall; we hope to see you there.

TOWN BAND RAISES OVER
£650 FOR POPPY APPEAL
On Saturday 12th November Hungerford Town Band
performed their annual charity concert in aid of the
Royal British Legion ‘Poppy Appeal’.
A packed Hall enjoyed a wide ranging programme
including items such as the overture ‘Zampa’, the enchanting melody ‘The Ashokan Farewell’ and the
march ‘Honest Toil’. Solo items were ‘Cry me a river’
by James Healey on Cornet, ‘Crazy’ by Phillip Carter
on Flugel Horn and ‘The Brigadier’ by Andrew Tilley
on Euphonium. The ﬁrst half was brought to a rousing
conclusion by the Training Band.
The highlight of the evening was the moving rendition
of music from the ﬁlm’ Zulu’ including narration by
Jack Williams.
The evening raised over £650 for the Poppy Appeal.
The Band can next be heard at their Christmas Concert
on Saturday 10th December in Hungerford Corn Exchange at 7.30pm.

World Web News
HUNGERFORD TRADERS FIGHT
TO IMPROVE THEIR TURNOVER
Hungerford’s pre-Christmas trade rush is peaking and
many shops are ﬁghting to better ﬁgures of the past few
years.
Some traders are reporting better pre-Christmas ﬁgures
following a lack-lustre earlier year.
Hungerford’s Victorian Extravaganza late night shopping gave trade a welcome boost as thousands of people
converged on the town to enjoy a family fun night out.
The next few days will be make or break for some businesses.
A representative of a leading take-away food establishment told The Adviser that pre-Christmas turnover was

MARLBOROUGH TRADERS LOOK
TOWARD SHOPPING BOOM
Marlborough traders are hoping for a shopping boom in
the few days before Christmas.
They hope that late night shopping next Thursday will
prove more popular than the past Thursday nights.
Traders are reporting a lack-lustre pre-Christmas.
Late night shopping numbers are reported to be disappointing and suggestions are being made that town entertainment should be provided to attract shoppers.
We Love Marlborough, Marlborough Chamber of Commerce, Marlborough Town Council and Curious Company have combined in the pre-Christmas shopping promotion.
POLICE INVESTIGATE RAM-RAID ATTEMP
Police are investigating an attempted ram-raid at Great
Grooms antique building in Hungerford early on Tuesday morning.
CONCERN OVER CCTV CAMERAS
Hungerford Town Council will discuss reported problems with the town’s CCTV cameras.
They have been described and too few and almost useless.
MAYOR’S THANKS FOR HELP
Hungerford’s Mayor, Cr Martin Crane has thanked all
who helped establish the town’s Christmas decorations.
NEW COUNCILLORS SOUGHT
Hungerford Town Council is seeking two new councillors.
SALT BIN FOR HUNGERFORD NEWTOWN
Hungerford Town Council has approved purchase of a
salt bin costing £100 for Hungerford Newtown.
YOU’RE WISER IN THE ADVISER
WHERE YOUR MESSAGE LASTS LONGER...

with the Adviser

“Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey”.
Over 150 members and guests of the Hungerford Historical Association were treated to an excellent talk by
the Countess of Carnarvon on her latest book which
tells the story of Lady Almina, who was married to
the 5th Earl of Carnarvon. Lady Almina established a
hospital for wounded ofﬁcers at Highclere during the
First World War. She nursed the ofﬁcers herself and
“treated them like the best people in the world”. During her research Lady Carnarvon found a number of
personal letters from servicemen and their families in
the Castle’s archives. One read “thank you for all you
did for my son – my husband got to his bedside before
he died”
The 5th Earl was a keen photographer and took a great
many photos during his14 years excavating in Egypt
with Howard Carter. The tomb of Tutankhamun was
found in 1922 just before the Earl’s money ran out. A
number of artefacts from the tomb are housed in the
museum of Cairo, and there is also a collection if items
at Highclere.
Her talk was full of very humorous anecdotes dealing
with larger than life characters. A really excellent evening enjoyed by the audience.
The next talk will be given by Canon Alan Deboo
“The Railways and Society in Victorian England” on
Wednesday, January 25th 2012 at 7.30pm in the Corn

WEB PRESENCE TO REPLACE
TOURIST INFO. CENTRE

A special community-led web presence at Marlborough will replace a tourist information centre.
Cr Richard Pitts at Monday’s Marlborough Town
Council meeting outlined the plan for the web to embrace pages of information on tourist orientated businesses.
OBJECTION TO DEVELOPMENT
Hungerford Town Council’s environment and planning
committee had objected to the St John Ambulance development plan the last council meeting was told by chairman Cr Jean Hutchings. “It should be in keeping with the
re-generationb of the whole area”.
LITTER AT RAILWAY STATION
Hungerford Railway Station area was littered with broken bottles and rubbish after last weekend Hungerford
Town Council’s environment and planning committee
chairman Cr Jean Hutchings told the last council meeting. It was felt that those responsible should clean up
the mess.

World Web News

with the Adviser

Have Your Say

The four day exhibition and consultation in the town hall plus leaﬂets, ensure everyone is included and can have
their say. Alternatively you can visit the town council website at marlboroughtowncouncil.gov.uk/consultation
An application for planning permission will have to be made, that will only happen if there is sufﬁcient public
support and will provide further opportunity for comment. Guy Loosmore added, “It would be sad if we continued excluding the public from their building, whilst they pay for the upkeep. I want to see it brought to life and
used daily as a vibrant focal point for the community and its visitors, not just kept as a beautiful white elephant”.
-Val Compton
. New Look for Volunteers at Savernake
Now that services based at Savernake Hospital have been, for the most part, taken over by The Great Western
Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, there has been an unexpected spin off for volunteers. Uniform teal coloured
polo shirts are on offer plus a bum bag, both bearing the “Voluntary Services Team” logo. The bags solve the
problem of where to put belongings such as keys, or jewellery which is required to be removed whilst on wards,
as an infection control precaution.
Suzanne Bennett, from the Voluntary Team, explains the polo shirts are a very useful form of identiﬁcation for
staff, patients and visitors – as are all hospital uniforms. They save the volunteer from being asked inappropriate
questions or having to turn down requests for help that are only suitable for hospital staff to give. It is also easy
for Ward Managers to know exactly who is working on the ward that day – even at a glance from the backview.
Ailesbury Ward at Savernake Hospital is desperately looking for more help serving refreshments in the mornings
or afternoons. Anyone with a small amount of regular time to give should contact Suzanne on 01985 220779 or
email her; Suzanne.Bennett@wiltshire.nhs.uk -Val compton

Things to do places to go

If you are you interested in tree planting or sharing a garden to grow fruit and vegetables you need to go the
Christmas Farmers Market on December 10th between 10am – 2pm in Marlborough Town Hall. Members of the
Transition Town Marlborough team will be on hand with a large map, where all available growing space and gardens can be marked. This vibrant market will have a wide range of local produce and craft gifts to choose from,
so put it in your diaries now. -Val compton

Action for the River Kennet (ARK) Volunteers

There’s no shortage of volunteering opportunities, not just in Marlborough but up and downstream – regardless
of age or expertise. ARK volunteers form a work party mostly on Wednesdays throughout the year, whatever
the weather. If you fancy working near or even in the river, drop Anna an email for further information annaforbes73@tiscali.co.uk Don’t worry, there are some waders available. -Val Compton
ADP DONATES £1000 TO ROTARY
Hungerford’s ADP Dealer Services, have donated
£1000 to the Hungerford Rotary Club’s local charity
account in recognition of three of their employee’s
achievement in climbing the highest currently active and dangerous volcano in the world. Geordie
Taylor, Euan Smith and Steve Robinson are seen on
the summit of the 19,347 foot Cotopaxi mountain
in Ecuador. They were particularly delighted with
this recognition of their tremendous efforts knowing
that both the elderly and young of Hungerford will

FIVE-YEAR MARKETING PLAN
Hungerford Town Council’s Cr Rupert Thompson told
the last council meeting that progress was being made
for the ﬁve-year Hungerford marketing plan with cooperation from Hungerford Chamber of Commerce.
JUBILEE MEETING IN HUNGERFORD
The Hungerford Town Council-led special committee
was to discuss the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebration
at a meeting last night. A Croft Field event with marquee
is expected to receive scrutiny.

World Web News
ROTARY CLUB RAISES £1350 WITH
MURDER MYSTERY EVENING
Hungerford Rotary Club attracted a full house at the
Corn Exchange to watch the Kennet Amateur Theatrical Society perform a Murder Mystery play in aid of
charity. Rotary President, local farmer, David Wallis
commented, “that this local Community occasion was
so successful it raised £1350 for Noreen’s Kids and
Local Charities and other such Events will follow”. JAMES BROWN
21 HUNGERFORD SPEED TICKETS IN 2 HOURS
Police issued 21 speeding tickets in two hours on the
easter approach to Hungerford recently.
Hungerford town councillors were given this information before a recent meeting when police said they were
concentrating on reducing speeding around Hungerford.
Councillors were also told of a further raid on Cobb’s
Farm when a tractor was stolen. It was the eleventh raid
on the farm and an arrest had been made. Police also
said they had acted against a drug distributor in Hungerford.

CHAMBER GIVES £300 TOWARD LIGHTS
Hungerford Chamber of Commerce will donate £300
toward Hungerford’s Christmas lights project. The last
chamber meeting decided to make the donation after a
talk by Mr Rod Desmeules.
CRAMP ACT TO SOLVE PARKING
PROBLEMS IN MARLBOROUGH
Over 200 households or businesses have received a survey form from CRAMP (Cars, Residents And Marlborough Parking) The pilot survey is the ﬁrst step in an
attempt to sort out the huge problem of parking in Marlborough for residents, shoppers and workers. CRAMP
are supported by Wiltshire Council and Marlborough
Town Council. -Val Compton
CHECK CEMETERY REGULATIONS
People with loved-ones buried in St Saviour’s Cemetery at Hungerford are being urged to check cemetery
regulations regulating grave memorials.
Hungerford Town Council’s recreation, amenities and
war memorials committee was told on Tuesday night
by the mayor Cr Martin Crane that strict regulations had
been introduced aimed at keeping the cemetery in a
tidy state.

with the Adviser

INSURANCE COVERS VANDAL DAMAGE
Hungerford Town council has been told that £1000
of damage by vandals to playground equipment at
Smitham Bridge is covered by insurance.
RESIDENTS WILL BE NOTIFIED OF WORK
Residents near Hungerford’s priory will be notiﬁed
of 18 months of demolition and construction work at
the request of Cr Jean Hutchings
District councillor Paul Hewer assured Hungerford
town councillors before their last meeting that any
valuable waste materials from the project would be
salvaged.

ADP EMPLOYEES CLIMB
COTOPAXI VOLCANO

Three ADP employees, two from Hungerford and
one from South Africa have just returned from Ecuador having successfully climbed to the top of Cotopaxi, the highest currently-active volcano in the
world. Geordie Taylor, Euan Smith and Steve Robinson reached the 19,347 feet summit (5,897m) at
dawn on Wednesday 21st September having climbed
the last 4,000ft through the night. The ﬁnal ascent is
made over the glaciers that cover Cotopaxi’s peak, an
almost symmetrical cone. The volcano has erupted
more than 50 times in the last 300 years. The ascent
over the glacier required night-lights, crampons,
ropes and ice-axes. Under the supervision of experienced Andean guides, the three negotiated the treacherous crevasses, ice walls and thin air in wind-chilled
temperatures as low as minus-30 degrees-C. ADP has
kindly donated £1,000 to Hungerford’s Rotary Club
in recognition of their achievements. The same three
adventurers reached the summit of Kilimanjaro in
2008 and kayaked down the Zambezi River in 2010.

YOU’RE A GOOD DEAL WISER
IN THE ADVISER!
adviser@universal-press.co.uk
01488 682328

World Web News

with the Adviser

MARLBOROUGH’S CHRISTMAS
LIGHTS ARE OUTSTANDING
Late Night Shopping too!
Marlborough’s Christmas lights display is outstanding and well worth taking the family to see; and why not on
Thursday nights until Christmas when there is the added attraction of late night shopping?
The shopping bonanza is promoted by We Love Marlborough, Marlborough Chamber of Commerce, Marlborough Town council and Curious Company.
The Adviser’s features are being promoted by the above organisations and the traders advertising.
DUCKLINGS TOY SHOP
Ducklings Toy Shop in Hilliers Yard is proving popular with its extensive range over two ﬂoors. It’s so good to
be able to view the toys.
ACCELER8
Acceler8 motoring & leisure enjoy catering for all ages whenit comes to Christmas gifts, from skateboards and
JD bug scooters, to hand built Pashley bicycles for th more discerning customer. Whatever your budget, whatever your age, Acceler8 has something for you or your family this Christmas!
SHAKIN’ THE TREE
At No 2. High Street prides itself on offering a point of difference and has a fabulous selection of Christmas
decorations and accessories, room fragrances and candles, gift mideas for family and friends at great orices, plus
stunning home accessory ideas including top quality SIA artiﬁcial ﬂowers and plants.
DAVID DUDLEY
David Dudley in the centre of the High Street has magniﬁcent jewellery, professionally displayed in an attractive shop. Ideal for Chistmas gifts that will last for ever.
CROSBY AND LAWRENCE
Crosby and Lawrence Have a wide and varied range of sports equipment for all the family, including a fantastic
range of games from Jaques of London as well as a range of stocking ﬁllers including the very popular” Wacky
socks” range and a selection of Babolat tennis rackets on special offer. Crosby and Lawrence has once again
extended their discounts for local clubs to include, all purchases, over the the Christmas period and not, just,
club related items.
ZORIA BEAUTY
Recently opened Salon Zoria Beauty in Hillier’s Yard offers an oasis tranquility in which to enjoy a range of
luxurious Decleor treatments for men and women as well as Pamper Day packages for special occasions. Gift
vouchers are available and make perfect Birthday and Christmas gifts. Clients can also take advantage of the
salon’s reward points system for returning business.
QUALITY STATIONERS
Hughenden Yard’s Quality Stationers cater for every need in stationery and printing.
DAVID DUDLEY
Dazzling Diamonds from David Dudley
It is that time of year again when it is time to buy that very special gift. If you are stuck for ideas visit our lovely
showroom in Marlborough High Street or browse our web site www.daviddudley.co.uk.
For this Christmas we have some exciting new gem set jewellery collections, including two collections designed
by award winning British designers Andrew Geoghegan and Tom McEwan. We pride ourselves on our diamond
jewellery and we have some beautiful diamond pieces designed by David and a range of exclusive European
designers. All David Dudley diamonds are conﬂict free.
If you are looking for designer silver jewellery this Christmas, we now have a wide range of new pieces including some very unusual cufﬂinks and earrings by Flash Jordan and contemporary mesh jewellery by Ntinga.
We are also very happy to design a piece of jewellery for you or to re-design an old piece of jewellery into
something new and exciting.
We all wish you and wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year!

World Web News
Diabetes on the increase

At a recent meeting of Great Western Hospital Foundation Trust, members took part in an interesting evening
focussed on diabetes. Lack of diabetes education can
result in poor outcomes for patients, which may lead to
life changing consequences. The short session included
some interesting and lively guesstimates of how much
sugar was contained in a range food and drink on the table. There was much laughter amongst members as some
of the guesses were a long way off the mark. Members
realised most of us would beneﬁt from increasing our
knowledge on this subject.
Insulin treatment only commenced in 1922, but diet and
exercise continues to be crucial in managing the disease
in all cases. It is estimated that three quarters of a million
people are walking around the UK with undiagnosed diabetes. The rising number of obese adults and children is
adding to the problem. As resources become increasingly
stretched, the NHS is encouraging everyone to learn more
about how to stay healthy and thus enjoy a better life. If
you have any concerns you should contact your own GP.
-Val Compton
PROBUS VISITS WADWORTH BREWERY
30 Members of the Hungerford PROBUS recently visited the Wadworth Visitors’ Centre in Devizes where
they enjoyed a fully escorted tour around the Brewery,
the Coopery and the Sign Writing Department. Prior to sampling the delights of the beers they met the
wellknown working Shires, Prince, Monty and Max,
who are still part of the daily scene in Devizes, after
which an excellent lunch was served at The Crown, the
ﬂagship of the Wadworth Brewery. Following lunch,
members Hugh & Lois Pihlens, led a very interesting
historical walk around Devizes -Pat Honeybone

GIRL GUIDES RESURRECTED

The 1st Hungerford Girl Guide Unit, now some 90
years old, has been recently resurrected and already
have15 girls signed up with a waiting list too. One or
two more adult volunteers are required to join 4 others
in the group, To help out Hungerford Rotary Club
have enabled the purchase of National “start up” packs
for each Guide by contributing a cheque to them for
£250.-JAMES BROWN

with the Adviser

Amenities & Open Spaces Committee
This is an interesting and active committee of Marlborough Town Council, which discusses a huge range
of subjects and often shapes the town we see. In a
recent meeting, the debates covered support for Marlborough Community Orchard, whether benches were
appropriate by the War Memorial near Wye House, if
the height of the barrier on the common should be altered, maintenance in Coopers Meadow, ﬂood alleviation in Kennet Place, a possible ﬁsh passage scheme,
allotments, a report on the excellent work done by
Hills Recycling plant and much more. -Val Compton
If you want to know what councillors are going to be
discussing – the town council website has the Agenda
posted in good time, you can come and listen to the
discussions, as every meeting is held in public. At the
discretion of the Councillor chairing the meeting and
if time allows, you may be asked if you would like to
express an opinion. Says Cllr. Rich Pitts, Chair of this
committee, “Getting people involved in the decision
making process is a good way to ensure the town reﬂects the residents’ wishes”. Public attendance, often
sparse at meetings, is welcomed by local councillors.
-Val Compton
Marlborough; A town in an orchard
The Amenities and Open Spaces committee meeting
began with a presentation from the hugely enthusiastic
Philippa Davenport, who spearheads Apple Day and
the community project working towards making Marlborough a “town in an orchard”. Philippa’s enthusiasm is certainly catching and her energetic approach
to the subject has inspired many to get involved. All
aspects of apples from growing, to bottling juice, to
cooking or just enjoying picking a good old Wiltshire
variety off a tree and enjoying a juicy scrunch, are
covered. The knock on effect to the environment is
far reaching and links have been with the Slow Food
Movement, Transition Town, Wildlife, Education and
so forth. This must rate as one of the most inclusive
projects in Marlborough.
Individuals and groups as diverse as Waitrose and
the Brownies are now eagerly awaiting to plant more
trees. Anyone can get involved in the fun. Whether it
is in your own garden or you have identiﬁed a piece
of land where a tree could be planted, Marlborough
Community Orchard would like to hear from you.
Says Philippa “The project appeals to cooks, gardeners and people who enjoy food”, so potential is unlimited. Philippa can be contacted on: 01672 512949.
-Val Compton

World Web News

with the Adviser

Your Minor Injuries Unit just moved further away
With no consultation and causing much confusion, treatment for “non-urgent minor injuries” will no longer
be available at Clover Centre based in Great Western Hospital (GWH). The information was clearly stated in
a “Mister Men style” booklet, produced by NHS Swindon and delivered by post today. The information is absolutely contrary to NHS Swindon’s Annual Report of 2009/10 which stated Clover centre offered “treatment
for minor injuries and minor illnesses without an appointment, 24 hours a day and seven days a week”. It is
also contrary to NHS Wiltshire’s leaﬂet on Minor Injury Units (MIU) which states Clover Centre can be used
if it is more convenient to attend there rather than Chippenham or Trowbridge MIUs.
It would seem now, that only “urgent” cases will be seen and treated in what is now called the Urgent Care
Service at GWH – everyone else will be re-directed to the Carfax NHS Medical Centre or their GP. The
booklet fails to tell you how to ﬁnd this obscure centre in Carfax St, fails to tell you it has about 3 car parking
spaces and also fails to tell you if you have a suspected fracture, there is no X-ray facility on the premises,
which would be required for a diagnosis.
The withdrawal of a standard minor injury service, such as we used to receive in Savernake Hospital, is a
substantive change – and that requires a public consultation to be held. Did I miss it? -Val compton.
Flashmob in Waitrose (Note to Ed – ﬁrst para only will stand alone plus website address if poss!)
SOUND OF SUPERMARKET MUSIC
Anyone shopping in Waitrose on Saturday afternoon was in for a surprise. Marlborough Community Choir
sprung another ﬂashmob on staff and customers (with permission of the management of course) and launched
into a rousing seasonal song. Somewhere between the Deli/ Fruit & Veg departments, ﬁrst a single voice rang
out, joined by another half a dozen and on the song went into three harmonizing parts. Customers stopped
shopping for a moment and stood and smiled at the “impromptu” performance which they also applauded
enthusiastically.
Marlborough Community Choir has now been running for a year and regularly gives concerts to raise money
for charity. If you missed them this time, they will be performing again in Waitrose on Dec 17th, having taken
part in a concert on the Dec 10th and sung in two local Residential Care Homes on Dec 12th, a busy time of
year.
Vanessa Lafaye, who runs the choir that is open for anyone to join (no auditions and no ability to read music
necessary) is a believer in singing for the sheer joy of singing together. Everyone is welcome to come and try
the choir at the ﬁrst session of the new term on 11th Jan. – especially people of the male persuasion!
For more information go to http://marlboroughcommunitychoir.org/ -Val Compton

World Web News

with the Adviser

Marlborough Town Council Snips.
FOOTPATH 39
At a busy full town council meeting in November, the public heard that the route of footpath 39 in Manton was
still something of a hot potato on the agenda. Feelings are running high with Manton residents, who amongst
other things seemed to object to Cllr Stewart Dobson providing information and pictures about the path, which
used to run through land once owned by him.
WELCOME SIGN FOR MARLBOROUGH
Cllr Nick Fogg reported that Marlborough is fairing rather better than some of the other market towns in Wiltshire, according to facts deduced from Wilts Council statistics on shops and parking. This is a welcome sign
that Marlborough, as a shopping destination, continues to be very popular. Cllr Fogg also had good news on
the possible new build of St Peter’s and St Mary’s Schools. Now the government criteria has changed, the
new combined infant and junior school has reached the top of the list. It is the only school recommended for
a new build being submitted to the Department of Education by Wiltshire Council.
WHITE HORSE PANEL
There was a request from Cllr Margaret Rose for the replacement of the very old and dilapidated White Horse
interpretive panel on the Manton footpath. Cllr Fogg asked that, should a new panel be designed, it could
include the Ufﬁngton White Horse, which although over the border in Oxfordshire, is important to be seen
within context.
SPORTS RELIEF RUUN DEBATE
A debate on whether the Sports Relief run would merit the closure of the High Street in Marlborough had
councillors divided. Some were very concerned that the closure would upset traders, who do a great deal of
business on a Sunday, that being the only free parking day of the week.
NEW WEBSITE PROPOSED
Cllr Rich Pitts gave a presentation on a possible new website for tourism, local businesses and the Chamber
of Commerce hosted by the Marlborough Area Development Trust. The Mayor, Alexander Kirk Wilson, had
previously explained that a staffed tourist information centre was not affordable by the town council.

Marlborough Police Chat

Marlborough has had several fake £20 notes used in the town. Police want shoppers and shop keepers to be
aware. Several people have been arrested, but the problem hasn’t gone away.
Shop lifting continues to be a problem. Several arrests have been made but in the run up to Christmas and
in the current economic climate, this problem is likely to continue. Not only that, but purse dippers are in the
town, as people are carrying more cash than normal. Please be alert and aware and consider using other means
of payment where possible to avoid carrying cash.
The “Drink Drive Campaign” will soon be started by Wiltshire Police. Everyone is reminded it’s NEVER ok
to take the risk. If you are going to have a drink – arrange how to get home safely ﬁrst.